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**lindil** · 06-15-2005, 09:32 AM

Several people have brought up that as children we would/did not split these hairs: fundamentally christian worldview or not, differences in magic or not.

No of course these things are not in your face or in the forefront of your mind, this is why they are so potent, they slip in through a side door.

Violent video games/tv [to take a more obvious and I think more researched example] do not make kids immediately want to go and kill someone/thing but they do slowly but surely change perception and reactive habits. Many of our choices and perceptions, indeed our 'world view' are formed by impressions we take in when we are young. Spending one's childhood immersed in anything [I was seriously immersed in JRRT] def. shaped mine.
I got into Christianity as a direct result of JRRT, I got into magic [later] as a direct result of JRRT/StarWars, etc...

I had absolutley no parental guidance and oversight on this.

Harry Potter, like JRRT casts a potent spell for many, and to whitewash this and not take it seriously is imo, naive.

Ban it? No.
Ponder the ramifications of HP's 'worldview' w/ your kids, absolutely.

No 'entertainment' is w/out it's price. Beyond the $ tag.

----------

Anecdotal evidence from this board alone shows that JRRT was a spiritual turning point for many that led them to JRRT's ultimate source.

As much as I enjoyed HP [ I read 5 at least 5 times in the last 2 years] I recognize that it simply does not ultimately draw from the same depth of purity that JRRT did. It's complete absence of a cosmology [still 2 books to go I know, but I don't expect any radical changes in this regard] is a major weakness. It's immediacy, being told about kids today, is a big strength. JKR attempts and succeeds in showing [in #5] the very relevant situation of kids having to make major decisions for themselves, because the authority figures around them are on the run [Dumbledore], stupid and blind [umbridge], out of commision [mcgonagle] or otherwise incommunicado. The relevance of this to today is I hope something kids are absorbing on some level. This is HP's virtue. The means she uses to tell an important story are obviously a great lure, on the order of Star Wars, and JRRT, but the complete lack of a cosmology, leaving Witchcraft and Wizardry in a theological, though not a ethical/moral vacuum is unfortunate. How it will play out in each soul will be different.

But you can bet that just as JRRT informed an entire hippy/enviromental movement, HP has sown it's own seeds....

06-15-2005, 09:32 AM	#29
lindil Seeker of the Straight Path Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: a hidden fastness in Big Valley nor cal Posts: 1,680	Several people have brought up that as children we would/did not split these hairs: fundamentally christian worldview or not, differences in magic or not. No of course these things are not in your face or in the forefront of your mind, this is why they are so potent, they slip in through a side door. Violent video games/tv [to take a more obvious and I think more researched example] do not make kids immediately want to go and kill someone/thing but they do slowly but surely change perception and reactive habits. Many of our choices and perceptions, indeed our 'world view' are formed by impressions we take in when we are young. Spending one's childhood immersed in anything [I was seriously immersed in JRRT] def. shaped mine. I got into Christianity as a direct result of JRRT, I got into magic [later] as a direct result of JRRT/StarWars, etc... I had absolutley no parental guidance and oversight on this. Harry Potter, like JRRT casts a potent spell for many, and to whitewash this and not take it seriously is imo, naive. Ban it? No. Ponder the ramifications of HP's 'worldview' w/ your kids, absolutely. No 'entertainment' is w/out it's price. Beyond the $ tag. ---------- Anecdotal evidence from this board alone shows that JRRT was a spiritual turning point for many that led them to JRRT's ultimate source. As much as I enjoyed HP [ I read 5 at least 5 times in the last 2 years] I recognize that it simply does not ultimately draw from the same depth of purity that JRRT did. It's complete absence of a cosmology [still 2 books to go I know, but I don't expect any radical changes in this regard] is a major weakness. It's immediacy, being told about kids today, is a big strength. JKR attempts and succeeds in showing [in #5] the very relevant situation of kids having to make major decisions for themselves, because the authority figures around them are on the run [Dumbledore], stupid and blind [umbridge], out of commision [mcgonagle] or otherwise incommunicado. The relevance of this to today is I hope something kids are absorbing on some level. This is HP's virtue. The means she uses to tell an important story are obviously a great lure, on the order of Star Wars, and JRRT, but the complete lack of a cosmology, leaving Witchcraft and Wizardry in a theological, though not a ethical/moral vacuum is unfortunate. How it will play out in each soul will be different. But you can bet that just as JRRT informed an entire hippy/enviromental movement, HP has sown it's own seeds.... __________________ The dwindling Men of the West would often sit up late into the night exchanging lore & wisdom such as they still possessed that they should not fall back into the mean estate of those who never knew or indeed rebelled against the Light. Last edited by lindil; 06-15-2005 at 09:51 AM.